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Strikeforce confirms it's demise

Consider it official: Strikeforce is closing its doors and its final show will be on Jan. 12th. The promotion announced the news Thursday confirming it was ceasing operations as well as laying out the bouts on its last fight card.

"Since 2009, Showtime has been a great partner and we appreciate its support of Strikeforce and our athletes," Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker said. "For our final event, we've loaded the card with some outstanding fights. This is going to be a memorable night for the sport of mixed martial arts."

"We are proud of our association with Scott Coker and the entire Strikeforce team," said Stephen Espinoza, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Showtime Sports. "From Gina Carano to Ronda Rousey, Fedor Emelianenko to Daniel Cormier, Nick Diaz to Gilbert Melendez, Showtime Sports and Strikeforce have built some of the biggest stars in the sport and have produced many of the most watched and most intriguing fights in the history of MMA. We look forward to another night of competitive and explosive Strikeforce fights on Showtime on January 12 in OKC."

Strikeforce: Marquardt vs. Saffiedine, the final Strikeforce event, takes place at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Okla. Showtime also announced Thursday the event would fall on a weekend where the channel is offered for free in up to 80 million homes through 50 cable providers.

The event is headlined by a welterweight title fight between champion Nate Marquardt and challenger Tarec Saffiedine.

Strikeforce officials also announced a novel bout between former Strikeforce middleweight champion Ronaldo 'Jacare' Souza and UFC middleweight Ed Herman. While previous attempts have been made to lure UFC fighters onto Strikeforce shows, this bout marks the first time that matriculation will take place.